Microsoft, Google Provide Great Web Joust in 2008

Though always rivals, 2008 was the year Google and Microsoft officially recognized each other as archenemies, firing shot after shot across each other's bows in search, mobile Web and browsers. The arrival of Google Chrome and the Android G1 and the expectations of Microsoft Windows Azure should make for a number of interesting battles in Web services, cloud computing, search engines, and mobile and wireless controls in 2009.

The year 2008 may be known as the year Microsoft truly tried to up the ante versus Google in the
battle for Internet supremacy. Search engine market share Google, meanwhile, looked to extend its tendrils on the
Internet.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer lowered the boom on Yahoo April 5, telling the
company that if the two companies couldn't come to a decision regarding
Microsoft's $31-per-share purchase offer within three weeks, it would take its
offer directly to Yahoo's shareholders.
Billionaire investor Carl Icahn got involved, threatening to
wage a proxy fight for Yahoo and hounding Yahoo's leadership to step down.
Meanwhile, Google was content to extend its sphere of influence on the
Internet.

Already the dominant search engine with more than 60 percent share of searches
worldwide, Google April 7 introduced Google App Engine, a
tool designed to let programmers build Web applications on top of Google's
infrastructure. The tool is an alternative to cloud computing infrastructure from
Amazon Web Services.

Yahoo's plan was let programmers write applications for Yahoo's mail, sports,
search, front page and mobile platforms that will jazz up the user experience
for the portal's 500 million-plus users. Yahoo would later roll out its SearchMonkey and Yahoo Mail as open platforms, core to
the YOS strategy.